TODAY IN HISTORY

• Intl Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation

• 2023 - Turkey

Two earthquakes measuring Mww 7.8 and 7.5 struck near the border between Turkey and Syria with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XII ( Extreme). The earthquakes resulted in numerous aftershocks and death toll of 57,658 people.

• 2023 - Nigeria

Three state governments ruled by All Progressives Congress ( APC) - Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara- dragged President Muhammadu Buhari to court over the new naira policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN). A Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) High Court stopped CBN from suspending or extending the February 10 deadline for the phase out of the old N200, N500, and N1000 naira notes.

• 2021 - USA

U. S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suspended agreements with Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to send asylum seekers back to their home countries.

• 2018 - USA

Spacex's Falcon Heavy, a super heavy launch vehicle, made its maiden flight.

• 1996 - USA

Willamette Valley Flood: Floods in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, United States, caused over US$ 500 million in property damage throughout the Pacific Northwest.

• 1989 - Poland

The Round Table Talks started in Poland, thus marking the beginning of the overthrow of communism in Eastern Europe.

• 1988 - USA

Michael Jordan made his signature slam dunk from the free throw line inspiring Air Jordan and the Jumpman logo.

• 1958 - UK

Eight Manchester United F. C. players and 15 other passengers were killed in the Munich air disaster.

• 1952 - UK

Elizabeth II became Queen of the United Kingdom and her other Realms and Territories and Head of the Commonwealth upon the death of her father, George VI until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states over the course of her lifetime and remained monarch of 15 realms by the time of her death. Her reign of over 70 years is longest of any British monarch and the second longest verified reign of any monarch of a sovereign state in history. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a tree house at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.